AHIOS Leadership

Bart Howe, AHIOS

Bart Howe, AHIOS President

Bart Howe is the chief executive officer of HealthMark Group, a leader in digital health information management based in Dallas, Texas. In that role, Howe leads a team focused on developing patient-centric technology solutions that streamline the flow of healthcare data to promote information accessibility and workflow optimization in healthcare without sacrificing privacy or security. Howe also serves as the president of the Association for Health Information Outsourcing Services (AHIOS), an organization comprised of the leading health information management service companies with the mission to promote compliance and excellence in the management of confidential, patient-identifiable information.

Prior to his current roles, Howe served as executive vice president of business development and corporate strategy at Caris Life Sciences, a pioneering leader in precision medicine, biotechnology and molecular diagnostics, where he led global business development, corporate strategy, international distribution, marketing and biopharma services. Howe’s entrepreneurial experience includes co-founding Ubiquitous Energy, Inc., a venture-backed solar energy technology company. He began his career in finance as an analyst at JPMorgan Chase. Howe holds a BBA in finance from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.

Steve Socha, AHIOS

Steve Socha, Vice President of AHIOS

Steve Socha serves as the SVP of Central Operations for Sharecare Health Data Services, LLC where he oversees quality control and privacy and compliance issues for this division of Sharecare. Prior to joining Sharecare, Steve worked in oceanographic research and manufacturing operations in the biotech and medical device fields. He received his B.S. in Oceanography from the University of Washington.

Darin Challacombe, AHIOS

Darin Challacombe, AHIOS Treasurer

As the treasurer for AHIOS, Mr. Challacombe strives to lead the association in its mission to strengthen and enhance the health information management (HIM) outsourcing industry while promoting excellence in the handling and dissemination of protected heath information. Mr. Challacombe is Manager of Training and Employee Development for Verisma. Through this position, he is a member of the Human Resources team and oversees all educational opportunities for the company. He has worked in the educational space since 2002 and has focused on HIM and ROI for the past four years. Mr. Challacombe has a Ph.D. in Social Psychology and is on the faculty for Fort Hays State University. Prior to Verisma, Mr. Challacombe worked as a grant-writer for a not-for-profit and for the Department of Justice. Outside of work, he currently serves on the board of Global Ties Kansas City, a not-for-profit organization connecting the USA to the world. He is a regular volunteer with the KKFI 90.1 Kansas City Community Radio station, United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, and several other organizations in Kansas City serving individuals with housing and food insecurities.

Liz McElhiney, AHIOS

Elizabeth McElhiney, Secretary of AHIOS

​As Secretary of AHIOS, Ms. McElhiney strives to promote the Health Information Management (HIM) outsourcing industry by facilitating communications between AHIOS and industry stakeholders; working with AHIOS members to increase interest in Release of Information (ROI) as a career path for new HIM professionals; and promoting patient awareness of their access and privacy rights in a continually changing and complex environment.

Ms. McElhiney is the Privacy and Security Officer and a Regional Director of Client Services at Verisma. She has over 13 years of experience in the HIM and Health Information Technology (HIT) industries and is a member of AHIMA, ILHIMA, HIMSS, and PMI. Ms. McElhiney received a Master’s in Health Administration with a specialization in Health Informatics from Capella University and a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science from Illinois Wesleyan University. She currently holds CHPS, CAHIMS, and CRIS credentials.

Rita Bowen, AHIOS

Rita Bowen, Legislative and Government Affairs Coordinator of AHIOS
In her role as Vice President of Privacy, Compliance and HIM Policy at MRO, Bowen ensures new and existing client HIM policies and procedures are to code. Bowen also serves as the company’s Privacy and Compliance Officer (PCO), assuring timely reporting of any disclosure incident. She is also responsible for reviewing legislation to assure industry response and compliance within MRO. Bowen has more than 40 years of experience in Health Information Management (HIM), holding a variety of HIM director and consulting roles. Bowen currently sits on The Sequoia Project Board of Directors and is an active member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). She served as AHIMA President and Board Chair, as a member of the Board of Directors for six years, and of the Council on Certification for three years. Bowen has also served on the AHIMA Foundation Board of Directors, serving as its Board Chair. She has been honored with AHIMA’s Triumph Award in the mentor category; she is also the recipient of the Distinguished Member Award from the Tennessee Health Information Management Association (THIMA). Bowen is an established industry thought leader, author and speaker on HIM topics and has taught HIM studies at Chattanooga State and the University of Tennessee Memphis. She holds a Bachelor of Medical Science degree from Emory University in Atlanta, GA with a focus in medical record administration and a Master’s degree in Health Information/Informatics Management Technology from the College of Saint Scholastic in Duluth, MN.

Dick Logan
Emeritus Membership
 and a founder and past President and Executive Director of AHIOS.